You think it’s just fruit,
then it kicks you in the nuts.
Ha! Take that, gonads!

How tired are you of the haiku? Because I could go ALL DAY LONG.

We had four whole pork shoulders to smoke. If you have that much pork, why make it all taste the same? So we did two shoulders with a traditional North Carolina-style rub and mop (Coming soon to a blog near you. This one, I mean.) (You probably got that. I’ll shut up now.) and the other two Cuban-style, with a garlicky rub and mojo mop.

Pulled pork is really pretty simple if you’ve got a smoker and 10 or 12 hours on your hands: The meat gets its spice rub a day ahead of time and sits in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, to enhance its deliciousness. The plastic comes off a few hours before smoking kick-off time so the spice crust can dry out, and then the pork hunk is hoisted onto the grill.

Since this is barbecuing and not grilling, we’re going for low and slow: 225 degrees, fueled by lump hardwood charcoal and hickory wood. You leave them the hell alone for the first 3 or 4 fours, then start basting with the mop every hour after that. Under the influence of smoke and low heat the connective tissue in the pork breaks down and the fat slowly melts, basting the whole shoulder in luscious pork fat and turning it into a quivering, silky mass. Of course, you won’t actually see this happen because it’ll be hidden under a gorgeous, garlicky crust. You just have to trust. Once the pork hits 190, it’s removed from the grill and left to sit for several hours until it’s cool enough to be handled.

When it comes to pulling, I actually prefer to use my hands rather than forks, especially when I have to pull 32 pounds of it. When you crack these babies open – the crust that develops on the outside isn’t called “bark” for no reason – the muscles that make up the shoulder fall apart in your hands and the entire bone pops right out, perfectly clean. Then, it’s just a matter of shredding the pork into the size of your choosing and trying not to eat more than you shred.* Be sure to shred some bark into the mix, because it’s full of delicious flavor taste, and add some more mop for moisture and flavor.

*I was not good at this.

Coleslaw is traditional with pulled pork, but I don’t like coleslaw and I thought something brighter would be more fun. I threw together a spicy pineapple relish with mango, jalapeño, thai chili paste and a little sugar. It was light, fresh, tart, spicy and sweet, and went perfectly with the garlic and orange-inflected pork.

Combine all the spices and pat them onto the pork shoulder. Wrap the rubbed shoulder well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 and up to 48 hours. Unwrap at least 2 hours before you plan to start cooking.

If you’re smoking, prep your smoker and chuck the pork on fat side up. Smoke unmolested for 3-4 hours, then start basting with mop every hour. Remove when the meat’s internal temp hits 190.

Let the pork rest for at least 2 hours, then get to pullin’.

You can also do this indoors: Use the same instructions for the spice rub, and roast the pork in the oven at 275. Add 1/2 cup of olive oil to the mojo sauce and serve as an accompaniment.

When I was a child I thought trichinosis was actually “chickenosis” which of course spawned a whole lot of bacterial confusion. Anyway, gorgeous pork 🙂 and I love the poetry, reminds me of something that Jade from C6 America’s Next Top Model would write (not sure if this is a compliment or not tho)

Michelle, I’m sorry that I couldn’t eat
Your luscious, porky bounty; this weekend
Found me in Vermont, where air is sweet
But porkenings are rare, and thus new friends
Will have to wait ’til next the stars align
And form a constellation hitherto unknown:
Porkulus, the pig- is he your sign?
Mine too! Perchance we’ll meet quite soon.
And still, I find myself distracted by
Imaginings of ribs, and ‘cue, and drink,
And spicy unripe mango slaw- oh my!
It pains me now; I daren’t even think
Of what I missed- the chewing, drooling zen
Silent, upon a deck in Hoboken.

(With apologies to you, John Keats, and the good people of Jersey City.)

Holy Pork Rinds! You can keep Picasso. I want a 16×20 of that gorgeous pulled pork hanging on my wall! It looks fantastic! There’s a little Cuban joint a few blocks from our house and they make this every weekend. There aren’t words to describe how good it is.

I saw a show on the FN about this Cuban guy in Miami who invented a special BBQ/smoker specifically for pork. It’s called a Caja China. You should check it out.

the kids are crying and whining too loudly for me to even THINK about making a limerick or haiku. but I just had to say I SAW YOUR PICTURE ON TASTESPOTTING!!!!!!! (actually peter spotted it first, so I suppose I will give him props… BUT NOT! 😉 )

Hi Susan – that guy did not invent the caja china. cubans have been using those for a long time, so he must have just gotten a trademark for it and the gringos at the patent & trademark office didn’t know any better. but cajas chinas are pretty great. 🙂

@Crimson: The Picnic is a half of the Shoulder as is The Butt. A whole shoulder has both the Picnic and the Butt together intact. Most often in most groceries (around the NY,NJ area), I only see the Picnic (usually labeled for Pernil Al Horno) and have to purchase Butt cuts from a restaurant supply store or order it from places such as Fresh Direct.

What’s the meaning of this?

Once upon a time, I wrote this food blog. It was a pretty great blog, if I do say so myself. I don't write it any more, but all the recipes and hijinx remain available for your cooking and reading pleasure.